Fighting Fires and Leading the Way

With a background in emergency medical services and a passion for continuous learning and growth, Brownsburg’s Fire Captain Justin Butts embodies the spirit of fire service.

Justin’s journey into emergency medical services started early as he took an EMT class in high school, driven to serve others after losing a close family member, a loss that profoundly influenced his path. After graduating, he spent the summer volunteering and took a semester off before enrolling in a paramedic program at Ivy Tech in Fort Wayne, IN. From there, he worked as a paramedic as he was drawn to the rescue side, and after several years, he became a flight medic on a helicopter for a hospital in Fort Wayne.

However, over time, Justin found himself wanting to give more of himself. “You kind of hit these points where you want to do more than you currently are,” Justin said.

A friend invited him to a live fire training, and that experience sparked a new passion in Justin as he was fascinated by the hands-on nature of the fire service. Through this experience, Justin was hired on in Brownsburg as a medic while he worked through the fire hiring process, spending two months as a civilian medic before starting the fire academy.

After finishing the academy, Justin went all in within this role.

What he loved most was the balance – he could be a medic on the engine, train in search and fire tactics, and spend time behind the firehouse hooking up hydrants and practicing flowing water.

“There was never a moment where I felt that my abilities and knowledge in fire training were capped out,” he says. “Brownsburg was always willing to provide opportunities for training classes.”

When a leadership opportunity emerged for Justin, he saw a chance to shape the department’s culture. His lieutenant promotion proved that collaboration was key. “I want to be that guy for the next guy,” he stated. This mindset then carried into his Health and Safety Chief role and into his current role as Fire Captain, stationed at Station 131.

For more of Captain Justin Butts story, visit discoverbrownsburg.org